


SUNNY DAY

by P5soleilnoir



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, Gen, P5 Dark Bang, Power Imbalance, Pre-Canon, Unwilling Test Subject, p5soleilnoir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:46:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23552518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/P5soleilnoir/pseuds/P5soleilnoir
Summary: The story of how Goro killed for the first time.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Isshiki Wakaba, Akechi Goro & Shido Masayoshi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 49





	SUNNY DAY

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second story for the [P5 Dark Bang](https://twitter.com/darkp5bang) \-- long time no Shiake! I missed writing about them. But this story is unfortunately not endearing and wholesome like my usual Shiake is... although I really enjoyed writing it all the same. Hope you do too!
> 
> Illustration by [Patches!](https://twitter.com/FeralPrince56/status/1248175526654742528) Thank you so much!

“After several days of gloomy skies, the sun will finally peek out of the clouds starting today. Temperature is expected to reach a pleasant 23 degrees with a mild breeze coming from the south. It’d be a shame not to make the most of such a bright and warm day, especially after such a morose summer we’ve been having lately but don’t worry, the sun is here to stay—”

  
  


In the cognitive world, a battle was raging.

A young teenager, not even out of middle school yet, was once again learning what it meant to fight for dear life.

“Urgh… Loki!”

His movements were clumsy at best, his reactions on the slow side. After all, he hadn’t been to this world that many times, which meant he stood only at the very bottom of the ladder called experience; his trips had all been, to this day, successful more thanks to luck than true skill.

Even so, Akechi Goro got by.

The monster – right, they were called Shadows – lunged at him, clearly going for the kill; Goro dodged it with a split second to spare, rolling aside and leaping back to his feet. His breathing came in short, quick panting, translating how much his stamina was already trickling away. But it wasn’t only his lack of experience that explained why he was particularly amateurish today, nor was it because he still didn’t entirely get used to his constricting suit and the obstructing visor it sported.

After all, he was about to do something he never did before. Something that would separate him from the spotless world, and there was no return ticket.

His chest rose and fell harshly.

“Dammit… Take this! Deathbound!”

Dozens of horrific hands surged from the negative portal upon which the Shadow stood – one moment later, each of its limbs was cleanly snapped off. The cracking sound they produced made Goro’s stomach squirm, but he had no time to feel nauseous, let alone vomit. He had to get going.

It felt like hours passed since he infiltrated this world, and he didn’t see any end to it yet. Several times, it occurred to him that he might be getting lost, what with each room and corridor being nearly identical to one another. Everywhere he looked, there was only white walls, strange machines and equipment the purpose of which he couldn’t tell, rows of computer screens that showed unfathomable data, antiseptic to the point of being overkill. It could all appear as a run-of-the-mill laboratory if it weren’t for the deafening screams coming from behind closed doors.

Goro’s heart leapt in his chest each time he passed one of them. The screams were stomach-churning, blood-chilling, a sound that no one on Earth should hear, let alone make. Goro knew he would be hearing this sound for the rest of his life, never being able to wipe it from his memory. It would stick with him.

No matter how much his morbid curiosity urged him to take a peek, he couldn’t find it in him to follow. All he decided to do was shake his head, try to block out the screams, and run away – as fast as his young legs could carry him.

Only after a painstakingly long time spent figuring out the maze that was this building did Goro believe he was finally making some progress. A large door stood before him, one that practically demanded to be open; it wasn’t like there was any other area left unexplored around. Taking a deep breath, Goro pushed the heavy door open. It gave way with a long, plaintive groan.

Whatever room he was in seemed huge, or so Goro thought, but he couldn’t tell for sure – it was pitch-black beyond the door, like someone suddenly covered the world in ink. Even the brightness coming from the corridor didn’t manage to reach anything past a couple of meters. Only several red lights flickered on and off all around, looking almost eerie in the darkness. Goro couldn’t help the childish thought they belonged to an actual monster, like those of his youngest years.

Gingerly, he stepped forward, trying to feel around for some helpful surface he could guide himself with, only to give a little yelp of surprise: he had stepped on something that definitely wasn’t the floor, given how soft it was. A squeak resounded in protest and Goro felt a swift movement at his feet before it disappeared away.

Goro blinked, caught off-guard, until he remembered he wasn’t there just to stand foolishly in the dark. Mindful of his steps, he proceeded through the unknown, until he caught from the corner of his eye an orange circle on what he assumed to be a wall. He carefully approached, wondering if his suspicions would be correct or instead cause him unnecessary regret, but as he pressed the button and light suddenly flooded the room, he was glad he listened to himself.

Sure enough, the surroundings were in the same vein as the rest of the Palace: yet another lab, though this one was much bigger than the others. The only novel factor, one that made Goro feel strangely uneasy, was the hundreds of empty cages all around, piled up in long rows after rows. Goro stepped toward them in curiosity, noticing how small each was, and raised an eyebrow: all of them were open.

Goro stood there, unsure what to think, then turned around and spotted another door nearby; on his way, he passed by a cluttered counter upon which sat a small mountain of documents. One of them caught his eye, prompting him to examine it more closely. Printed in bold, large letters, the title read:

**RODENTS BEHAVIOR PATTERNS: STUDIES AND EXPERIMENTS**

Goro skimmed the file, which was filled with various pictures and annotations, then glanced back at the cages. He supposed this document explained them. That really was a lot of rats, though, even if there was only one per cage…

Realizing his mind was wandering again, Goro mentally scolded himself and pressed on: the next door opened easily. A large descending staircase unfolded before him. There was only one door awaiting below; the plate above read ‘Basement.’

It was quite dark beyond, but not so much Goro couldn’t see. Far ahead, he could hear the sound of water dripping. Perhaps it was subconscious, but he felt drawn to that sound, like it could guide him to the next area; as he went, though, another noise joined in. He couldn’t really tell what it was: it sounded almost like a rustle of some kind. With each of his steps, it was getting louder.

After a few minutes of proceeding, Goro paused.

A lone rat was there, moving about seemingly aimlessly, sniffing the floor and then rising on its hind legs. Goro observed it, a bit taken aback, until he suddenly blinked: another rat had joined the first, evidently looking for something. Then, without warning, both dashed away in the half-darkness, leaving Goro alone. A moment later, he followed after them, warily.

The rustle was getting louder. Goro could see several rats trot past him. He pushed forward at a faster pace.

When he turned around the corner, the origin of the rustle was clear.

Goro couldn’t help a movement of revulsion.

Hundreds of rats were gathered, agglutinated together, bustling around like one living swarm over a mass Goro couldn’t really make out. With the way they were moving about, he was strongly reminded of an ant colony surrounding some discarded food, and making short work of it. It was so similar, in fact, that—

His heart stopped.

A slow blankness enveloped him, like his mind suddenly failed to catch up with his sight.

The flesh was being gnawed on bit by bit, like the clothes weren’t there at all. Each mouth was stained with blood, and more gushed out as they took the next bite. It was an obscene, revolting feast, so violent one might wonder whether those rats were motivated only by hunger, or a wicked sense of slaughter. They were so numerous that they seemed akin to one large, crawling, deadly blanket.

The hand jutting out of the living mass twitched weakly.

Goro felt his blood turn to ice.

For the space of a heartbeat, the swarm thinned out enough for him to catch a glimpse of their face. They were looking directly at him.

“Come on… You gotta help me…”

The next moment, their face was swarmed once more. But it was already burned into Goro’s retinas, burned into his brain, burned into his mind… burned into his very soul.

The missing pieces of skin. The visible teeth. The half-eaten nose the dilapidated ear the bleeding lip the half torneyethecheekbonestickingoutthe—

Goro screamed, screamed like he never did before, screamed a sound of primal fear and ran, ran as fast as he could, feeling swiftness around his feet even as he stumbled around, dashing through doors and rooms at random, until he put what felt like an entire building between him and the horrid scene. He collapsed to his knees, panting and gasping for air loudly, each gulp meant to quell his urge to vomit.

When he heard the clicking of her heels, it was too late to hide.

“Well, well, well… What do we have here?”

Between two fits of retching, Goro looked up.

White lab coat, long enough to reach her knees. A spiral notebook in her arms, clutched tightly against her chest. Several ballpoint pens sticking out of her breast pocket, upon which was hanging a nametag. Black half-frames reflecting light for a split second. Wide open golden eyes beyond them that returned his wary gaze with a manic edge in their depths.

The Shadow of his target stood right there. The Shadow of Isshiki Wakaba.

“A visitor, isn’t it? My, perfect timing. I was in need of a new test subject—the others are all exhausted, after all…”

It was obvious from her manner that she didn’t mean it in the first sense of the word.

She stepped closer and crouched right in front of him, a playful, friendly smile upon her lips.

“You’ll help me, will you?”

For a moment, Goro was stuck in a trance, only staring at her open-mouthed. His firearm felt unnaturally heavy around his thigh, like it had turned into osmium. He reached a trembling hand at it, but it stopped mid-way. Like a barrier prevented him from grabbing it.

It was when her own hand almost closed on his arm that he broke free from his stupor, brusquely recoiling and falling backward on the floor. This appeared to irritate her greatly, for her gentle features instantly turned to those of a horrifying demon, so fast it seemed impossible.

“Seize him!” she commanded as three Shadows popped out of nowhere with a sickening sound. 

Heart hammering, Goro bolted to his feet, acting only on raw instinct now; he dodged another grab nearly too late before reaching for his serrated sword, plunging it through the nearest’s chest right to the hilt. But just as he was about to do the same to the second one, the third dashed behind his back in the blink of an eye and knocked him off his feet hard, sending him forward to the floor in a sprawled mass. Before he could so much as roll to his knees, the Shadow pinned him down, hands clasping his wrists, its weight so grand his legs were all he could flail about.

“Let go! Let go of me!” he yelled, but both his command and frantic struggling were to no avail. 

His left arm was extended like he were an articulated doll and turned aside, exposing the crook; a pair of shoes entered his vision before he looked up to see the syringe in the other Shadow’s hand.  
  
“No! Stop—ah!” he gasped as the needle pricked his vein through his suit, writhing like a mad animal.

“Aren’t you the energetic type,” Isshiki’s Shadow said fondly, her crescent-shaped gaze reminding him disgustingly of an affectionate mother. “But I’m sorry, my little bouncy boy. You’ll need to calm down a little.”

Goro would have sworn at that, but the beginning of a strong numbness was already making its advance toward his mind; whatever he would have said was lost in favor of an irresistible weight upon his eyelids. He tried to writhe, but his would-be forceful movements turned out as feeble jerks instead, until they simply ceased.

“There we go,” she said, patting his back gently. “You’re being a really good boy.”

The last thing Goro sensed as the last of his consciousness drifted away was the weight upon his wrists lifting, before someone immediately threw him over their shoulder. Just like he were some living cattle whose next stop would be the slaughterhouse.

When Goro came to, he was greeted by a blinding light.

He squeezed his eyes shut right away, still seeing the halo beneath his eyelids, until he slowly fluttered them open again. What greeted him was a white ceiling, upon which were embedded neon lights. He blinked once, then twice, his mind feeling abnormally foggy, until he laboriously turned his head aside.

If he could, he would have jolted.

“Ah, finally up—how are you feeling? The tranquilizer was strong, you know, so you might feel disoriented for a while. But that’s all right, that’s all right, you don’t—”

Isshiki’s Shadow blabbered on and on, showing no sign she would quiet down anytime soon. Goro frowned, his tired brain having trouble catching up with her.

“Let’s see here…” she continued, taking a look at her notes. “Yes, a very healthy teenager, neither underweight nor overweight, with a good muscle ratio for such a young age. That’s good, that’s good.”

She scribbled something down her notebook, then edged closer. Goro’s first reaction was to jump back.

He would have done so if his legs weren't currently restrained.

Goro’s heart lurched and his eyes flew open, suddenly freed from the daze clouding his mind, and he immediately struggled; his arms didn’t respond to his efforts either, trapped above his head and powerless against the metal cuffs binding them.

“I’ve been wanting to study the human brain more closely those past days—as an organ, that is. You’ll allow me a peek, won’t you?” she said, a laugh in her tone. “All the others expired too fast, but you are young and strong. I’m sure you’ll hold out way longer, which is perfect for me. Dead bodies don’t make for healthy brains, after all.”

“Wh-What…?” Goro muttered, unable to believe his ears, unable to believe what was happening. “What are… What are you talking about…?”

All she did in response was retrieving a large scalpel from her pocket, and Goro saw it. He saw that her mind was long gone.

“N-No! Get away!” he yelled, but it all fell on deaf ears. She walked up to him, humming a little tune, then skirted around the table and stopped in front of his head.

_She’s evil, she’s completely twisted… He was right, she really deserves to disappear…_

“Ready? This might be a tad uncomfortable, but I’m sure you’ll manage just fine. Well, let’s begin! First things first, getting this mask and helmet out of the way…”

When she seized his mask, his icy blood froze over.

He was about to die.

His short life would end right here in this room, in the worst way possible.

Before he got the chance to do anything. Before he got the chance to accomplish what he strived for.

Before he even began to truly _live._

“Hm? That’s strange… Why can’t I remove—”

_“Loki!”_

A shattering sound rang out of nowhere. Goro’s visor vanished into blue flames, and with its disappearance came Loki instead, immediately slicing off the metal cuffs before blasting Isshiki away. She landed against the wall and collapsed to the floor, stunned, while Goro jumped to his feet and faced her. Dozens of various items had crashed down with the force of her impact, left in a disarray around her.

“Ow… That really hurt…” she grimaced, massaging her arm. “What…?”

Her outlandish eyes opened wide. The sight of the gun pointed at them was reflected in their depths.

“My, my… No need to get so mad,” she said, her expression suddenly unfathomable. “Put away your toy, now.”

But Goro only tightened his grip around his gun in response, his maskless face scrunched up in savage determination. He looked just like a rabid dog making its retaliation.

“Oh… So you’re serious about this, aren’t you?” she said nonchalantly, apparently unfazed.

“…I was sent to kill you,” he replied without being entirely sure why. It had felt natural, like he had to explain himself somehow.

“Sent?” she echoed, eyes taking on a rounder shape. “By whom?”

“…Doesn’t concern you.”

Goro had only mumbled, but it seemed she caught his words loud and clear.

“Is that so? Well, I have to say—whoever picked you for this job is quite a poor judge of character.”

Her lips curved into a smirk. The kind of smirk shown by those who knew they had the upper hand.

“I mean, look at you. You’re shaking like a leaf.”

 _That’s wrong,_ Goro immediately thought, but that was only his petulant stubbornness kicking in: he definitely was trembling from head to toe. His left hand was the worst offender.

“Then again, that’s understandable. Who in their right mind would think of hiring a child, of all people, to commit murder? If you want my opinion, this is quite wrong.”

“Because what you’re doing here isn’t…?” Goro asked venomously, though more to keep his mind busy rather than focus on what she said just before.

“Oh, don’t be silly!” she replied, laughing briefly. “Nothing is more important than my research—of course I’d put it before anything else, even human lives. Aren’t you the same?”

Goro stayed silent. He didn’t know how to answer.

Then again, his silence was an answer on its own.

“Like I thought. Well, it’s better this way. Because once you cross this line, there’s no turning back, you know?”

Goro’s hand faltered slightly.

This was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

“Hurry, hurry up and neutralize him!”

Goro jumped back just in time to avoid the hit; one split second later and he would have been slashed in half. The Shadow she had summoned lunged again, only to vanish as he shot it down; the next moment, Isshiki was on him, grabbing his throat in both hands and pinning him roughly against the nearest wall.

“You’ll be tainted forever. You’ll never return to a normal life,” she said as she tightened her grasp, her wide eyes speaking of true insanity. “You won’t belong to this world ever again. You’ll just be part of the underworld, where your life is a commodity.”

Goro hacked and sputtered, one hand trying desperately to pry her own off, the other pressing his gun against her forehead.

She leaned toward him further. Their faces were so close to each other he could see his reflection in her demented eyes.

“But, if you’re ready to cross this line… the voyage of the newborn killer begins.”

Goro gasped, squeezing his eyes shut, then opened them again. His vision was getting blurry; his surroundings started to swim all around.

Did he really have it in him?

Was he truly ready to do anything, anything in his power, to reach his goal? Even discard his own humanity, if this is what it took?

In his mind, Shidou’s face flashed.

Goro’s eyes opened wide. This time not in fear.

A moment later, the bang of a gunshot tore through the room.

Isshiki remained entirely still for a moment, merely blinking in confusion as a trail of blood dripped down her face. She crumpled down like a broken doll, her wide, lifeless eyes staring upwards.

Goro looked down at her as he massaged his marked neck, chest rising and falling quickly from his heavy panting. Each intake of air felt like a thousand nails stuck inside his throat.

After an eternity that really lasted a matter of seconds, the body vanished into thin air. All that remained was a single spot of blood on the floor where it had trickled down. And like a button was switched, strong tremors suddenly rocked the room, making him stumble.

_What the—what’s going—_

But the debris suddenly crashing mere inches away from him cut his confusion short and stirred him into action instead; all he could think of was running away toward the exit. He ran, ran, and ran some more, like a high tailwind was pushing him forward. And not only because the Palace was collapsing.

When Goro knocked on the door to Shidou’s office later that day, it was with a slight jolt of anticipation in his stomach.

“Come in.”

Goro complied and stepped inside the room, bowing in respect as Shidou straightened from his chair. His gaze was as always severe and piercing.

“I take it you’re bringing me news?”

“I am. I—I’ve completed the job. She’s gone.”

His voice wavered slightly as he said it. Even so, he refused to betray himself – he had to appear reliable in Shidou’s eyes. This brave face of his was all he could do.

Unluckily for him, Shidou was no fool. The way Goro’s face was so pale, the way his gaze kept shifting elsewhere, was not lost on him.

“I see,” he replied, pulling out his tablet. “Let’s see if it worked as expected.”

For several long minutes that seemed to drag on forever, Goro remained entirely silent, watching Shidou somewhat nervously as the news channel made their report. It seemed as though they didn’t catch wind of the incident yet. Unless… unless the method simply failed…

Goro didn’t know if he should feel relieved.

But just as he was subconsciously starting to relax, it happened.

“Next on the news—a death was reported in the district of Yongenjaya. Isshiki Wakaba-san, 42, threw herself in front of a passing car, including among the many witnesses her own daughter. Paramedics were not able to reanimate her despite their efforts. The police is currently investigating the incident, but already declared it will most likely be ruled as a suicide—”

“Hmph, now that’s convenient. Much faster than I thought, too.”

Shidou’s glasses caught a flare of light as he shifted, his triumphant smirk whole. He looked up at Goro, sporting a smile that could have been genuine if it wasn’t so tinted with wickedness.

“Well, it seems we’ve found—”

Shidou was interrupted by a whimper.

Goro felt unbearably cold all of a sudden.

Every last inch of his body was trembling, each part independently from one another; he hugged himself tightly, but the shivers wouldn’t stop.

He felt a layer of sweat escape through his every pore.

“…chi—”

He believed he could vaguely hear Shidou’s voice, but it was distant and muffled, like it was coming from a mile away. Like he was listening to it underwater.

Everything felt faint. His head was numb. His legs weak.

Soon, they gave in.

Goro crumpled to his knees, retching, gagging and sputtering. Just as suddenly, Shidou jumped to his feet and grabbed the trash can under his desk, nearly leaping forward and shoving it right under Goro’s face. The next moment, it was half-filled with vomit.

It took a long moment before his hacking and panting stopped, but his whimpers didn’t. He couldn’t seem to calm down no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he hated himself for showing weakness in Shidou’s presence, no matter how much he scolded himself in that each minute he spent being so distressed was one hundred more meters distancing him from his objective.

Even so, his eyes remained frustratingly, despairingly wet.

This is when he felt two hands gently grab him by his shoulders. Shidou’s.

“You did an excellent job.”

Goro felt it. A strange jolt in his stomach, far from painful.

“I am proud of you.”

It was like a secret door was being opened. A door beyond which lay a heavenly world.

A beautiful land where the sun was endless. Where he could get intoxicated on the smell of lush green grass and it still wouldn’t be enough.

“I know how difficult of a task I asked you to deal with, but it seems there was no need to worry. You’ve gone beyond meeting my expectations.”

The life-saving drug was in.

It was rushing through his veins, enrapturing his senses, bewitching his brain. A drug he could get drunk from and he would be the last to mind.

Goro looked up and met this gaze, entirely enthralled. Shidou’s confident smile seemed genuine.

His eyes, teary and wide, made him look like a frightened kitten.

“You and I will achieve great things,” Shidou said, the grip on Goro’s shoulders warm and reassuring. “Together.”

That was it.

The keywords were set.

And as much as his rational mind was screaming at him not to do it, as much as he knew he shouldn’t do it, one tiny part of his mind, the one that still carried his innocence and his deepest desire, overwhelmed it all. It was stronger than him, like he were being controlled by a superior force.

From the window came the sunlight, shining a bright warmth upon him.

He wrapped his arms around Shidou, body entirely tense as he feared his reprisal. When it never came, he allowed himself to relax and closed his eyes, two tears rolling down his cheeks in unison.

If his head wasn’t resting on Shidou’s shoulder, he might have noticed it.

He might have noticed how Shidou’s features stiffened before his lips curved into a twisted, triumphant smirk as he reached to hold him back.

* * *


End file.
